nuknuk
02-16-2011, 04:12 PM
For years now the demise of female bodybuilding has been in the clutches of despair. Pro and amateur female bodybuilders have been training harder than ever for a sport that is slowly minimizing the female bodybuilding division and in some cases completely excluding it. A recent thread posted on the Muscular Development forum states "According to undocumented sources at a recent seminar in Colorado the NPC is eliminated NPC female bodybuilding and replacing it with Women's Physique in 2012." Because this is unsubstantiated we can only hope that it's not true since the Women's Physique round has yet to be put to the test and portrays the analogy of "putting the cart before the horse."
The Women's Physique division is creating a change within the sport; just as the Bikini division changed the shape of Figure. Yes, the Figure division. In the past few years competitors in the NPC and IFBB who were known for harder lines and muscularity had to change their nutritional and training programs in order to place higher because their "look" was no longer deemed the quintessential figure build. Smoother, softer builds replaced harder physiques and left some of the best conditioned athletes with lower scores.
Though we all know change is inevitable this is a change that will effect women in the sport who have given up the most. As fans and athletes already know top ranking female bodybuilders win a substantially lower prize purse than their male counterparts. For example; four time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler won $200,000 while six time Ms. Olympia Iris Kyle won $28,000; just over an eighth of Cutler's winnings.
Not only are female bodybuilders paid less but many female bodybuilders have spent years perfecting physiques with the use of performance drugs and have lost much of their femininity. They have worked hard to maintain muscle mass but have since been considered "freakish" and "manly" to the mainstream and now are at an even greater loss with the decrease in the bodybuilding division. Unfortunately, the mainstream is not the only group ostracizing female bodybuilding as there are athletes within the industry who do not necessarily like the look of the female bodybuilders.
At the moment there doesn't seem to be a happy medium as the New York Pro is not including female bodybuilding this year, either. The event is set for May 28, 2011 with the addition of Pro Figure but no where on the flyer is women's bodybuilding.
So what happens next? Will it be replaced by the Women's Physique round? At this point it's unknown but one thing for sure; if all the athletes don't defend women's bodybuilding it will soon be something we read about in old magazines and articles online.
<HR>
<HR>Boomer
02-16-2011, 05:13 PM
^^^. I second that. I beleive Many others will agree too. Hence the reason why women only get paid so
Little. Alot of people don't want to see men looking women on stage. The popularity of it is just not there even though those women work their asses off to get like that.
<HR>Mrbigz
02-16-2011, 05:42 PM
there are couple of very sexy Fbb's, Isabelle Turell I would marry right this very second if i could, mmmm i love her!!! she's so bad ass.
<HR>NAIR
02-16-2011, 06:00 PM
I miss the days ofCall it a sport, an art, or whatever, but it's also very much a matter of self destruction—sacrificing your femininity for the sake of being a competitor. Shame on the IFBB for encouraging these standards to begin with!
gina aliotti being at the top of the figure class. I love that amount of muscle on a woman. Why change the standards of figure if you have brought in bikini anyways?
As for the "women making less" argument, it's weak if not just plain stupid. It's called supply and demand. virtually nobody goes to a show to see women disguised as men. I know there's a fetish out there but that crowed ain't paying the 200k fucking bill for the winner. I believe so strongly that the division is not just worthless but actually a hindrance, that I actually predict that if its wiped completely, it will actually advance the popularity of the sport.
<HR>steph
02-17-2011, 06:13 PM
I miss the days of gina aliotti being at the top of the figure class. I love that amount of muscle on a woman. Why change the standards of figure if you have brought in bikini anyways?
I agree with this! Though I'm happy to see Erin Stern as the standard for women's figure right now... I love her physique too!
Just because not everyone agrees with it, doesn't mean it should be done away with. I feel bad for the female bodybuilders I know who worked so hard to build their physiques and now either have to downsize, or quit competing because they no longer have a category to fit into. I think alot of female bodybuilders are beautiful, though on the other hand, there is a line that some do cross where there is no longer a distinction to indicate femininity. The standards have changed so much over the years... there's no reason they can't keep women's bodybuilding and take it to the next phase of it's evolution, or scale it back to a more attainable look. It does seem that women's physique is going to replace that category though... and I *am* excited to see how WP develops.
<HR>
I don't even know where to begin. I found this online and am seriously disturbed. Number one, what I choose to do with my body is my own damn business, I know I won't make a lot of money from this and guess what fellas so do all the other women. We are not stupid! I also know very many fbbs who are very feminine and much bigger than a lot of men and maybe it is their giant egos that cannot handle it, I know a lot of this from personal experience anyways. I have been very pc about a lot of my feelings regarding many aspects of what goes on at bodybuilding shows and I do that only as I am trying to be a good representative but this bs almost pushes me over the limit. I have a deep voice, my face has changed and guess what I am ok with it! Trust me gentlemen there are many male competitors who are not that good to look at either. Bodybuilding is about MUSCLE, symmetry and conditioning. If you don't like it then don't look at it. Sure I would love for the women to make more money but I'm not gonna bitch about it cuz I know how it works, we work just as hard as the men but it doesn't matter and I know it going in and guess what I still go in! Why? Because I love it and to hell with whatever man deems me manly. Reminds of me people who put bad comments on fbbs on youtube, you searched fbbs??? You guys are aware that bikini and figure get paid less than fbbs right? Throw physique in there too.
02-16-2011, 04:12 PM
For years now the demise of female bodybuilding has been in the clutches of despair. Pro and amateur female bodybuilders have been training harder than ever for a sport that is slowly minimizing the female bodybuilding division and in some cases completely excluding it. A recent thread posted on the Muscular Development forum states "According to undocumented sources at a recent seminar in Colorado the NPC is eliminated NPC female bodybuilding and replacing it with Women's Physique in 2012." Because this is unsubstantiated we can only hope that it's not true since the Women's Physique round has yet to be put to the test and portrays the analogy of "putting the cart before the horse."
The Women's Physique division is creating a change within the sport; just as the Bikini division changed the shape of Figure. Yes, the Figure division. In the past few years competitors in the NPC and IFBB who were known for harder lines and muscularity had to change their nutritional and training programs in order to place higher because their "look" was no longer deemed the quintessential figure build. Smoother, softer builds replaced harder physiques and left some of the best conditioned athletes with lower scores.
Though we all know change is inevitable this is a change that will effect women in the sport who have given up the most. As fans and athletes already know top ranking female bodybuilders win a substantially lower prize purse than their male counterparts. For example; four time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler won $200,000 while six time Ms. Olympia Iris Kyle won $28,000; just over an eighth of Cutler's winnings.
Not only are female bodybuilders paid less but many female bodybuilders have spent years perfecting physiques with the use of performance drugs and have lost much of their femininity. They have worked hard to maintain muscle mass but have since been considered "freakish" and "manly" to the mainstream and now are at an even greater loss with the decrease in the bodybuilding division. Unfortunately, the mainstream is not the only group ostracizing female bodybuilding as there are athletes within the industry who do not necessarily like the look of the female bodybuilders.
At the moment there doesn't seem to be a happy medium as the New York Pro is not including female bodybuilding this year, either. The event is set for May 28, 2011 with the addition of Pro Figure but no where on the flyer is women's bodybuilding.
So what happens next? Will it be replaced by the Women's Physique round? At this point it's unknown but one thing for sure; if all the athletes don't defend women's bodybuilding it will soon be something we read about in old magazines and articles online.
<HR>
<HR>Boomer
02-16-2011, 05:13 PM
^^^. I second that. I beleive Many others will agree too. Hence the reason why women only get paid so
Little. Alot of people don't want to see men looking women on stage. The popularity of it is just not there even though those women work their asses off to get like that.
<HR>Mrbigz
02-16-2011, 05:42 PM
there are couple of very sexy Fbb's, Isabelle Turell I would marry right this very second if i could, mmmm i love her!!! she's so bad ass.
<HR>NAIR
02-16-2011, 06:00 PM
I miss the days ofCall it a sport, an art, or whatever, but it's also very much a matter of self destruction—sacrificing your femininity for the sake of being a competitor. Shame on the IFBB for encouraging these standards to begin with!
gina aliotti being at the top of the figure class. I love that amount of muscle on a woman. Why change the standards of figure if you have brought in bikini anyways?
As for the "women making less" argument, it's weak if not just plain stupid. It's called supply and demand. virtually nobody goes to a show to see women disguised as men. I know there's a fetish out there but that crowed ain't paying the 200k fucking bill for the winner. I believe so strongly that the division is not just worthless but actually a hindrance, that I actually predict that if its wiped completely, it will actually advance the popularity of the sport.
<HR>steph
02-17-2011, 06:13 PM
I miss the days of gina aliotti being at the top of the figure class. I love that amount of muscle on a woman. Why change the standards of figure if you have brought in bikini anyways?
I agree with this! Though I'm happy to see Erin Stern as the standard for women's figure right now... I love her physique too!
Just because not everyone agrees with it, doesn't mean it should be done away with. I feel bad for the female bodybuilders I know who worked so hard to build their physiques and now either have to downsize, or quit competing because they no longer have a category to fit into. I think alot of female bodybuilders are beautiful, though on the other hand, there is a line that some do cross where there is no longer a distinction to indicate femininity. The standards have changed so much over the years... there's no reason they can't keep women's bodybuilding and take it to the next phase of it's evolution, or scale it back to a more attainable look. It does seem that women's physique is going to replace that category though... and I *am* excited to see how WP develops.
<HR>
I don't even know where to begin. I found this online and am seriously disturbed. Number one, what I choose to do with my body is my own damn business, I know I won't make a lot of money from this and guess what fellas so do all the other women. We are not stupid! I also know very many fbbs who are very feminine and much bigger than a lot of men and maybe it is their giant egos that cannot handle it, I know a lot of this from personal experience anyways. I have been very pc about a lot of my feelings regarding many aspects of what goes on at bodybuilding shows and I do that only as I am trying to be a good representative but this bs almost pushes me over the limit. I have a deep voice, my face has changed and guess what I am ok with it! Trust me gentlemen there are many male competitors who are not that good to look at either. Bodybuilding is about MUSCLE, symmetry and conditioning. If you don't like it then don't look at it. Sure I would love for the women to make more money but I'm not gonna bitch about it cuz I know how it works, we work just as hard as the men but it doesn't matter and I know it going in and guess what I still go in! Why? Because I love it and to hell with whatever man deems me manly. Reminds of me people who put bad comments on fbbs on youtube, you searched fbbs??? You guys are aware that bikini and figure get paid less than fbbs right? Throw physique in there too.
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